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| Paleontologists debunk fossil thought to be missing link between lizards and first snakes Posted: 18 Nov 2021 03:16 AM PST Filling in the links of the evolutionary chain with a fossil record of a 'snake with four legs' connecting lizards and early snakes would be a dream come true for paleontologists. But a specimen formerly thought to fit the bill is not the missing piece of the puzzle, according to a new study. |
| New findings on the link between CRISPR gene-editing and mutated cancer cells Posted: 18 Nov 2021 03:15 AM PST A protein that protects cells from DNA damage, p53, is activated during gene editing using the CRISPR technique. Consequently, cells with mutated p53 have a survival advantage, which can cause cancer. Researchers have found new links between CRISPR, p53 and other cancer genes that could prevent the accumulation of mutated cells without compromising the gene scissors' effectiveness. |
| Warmer soil stores less carbon Posted: 18 Nov 2021 03:15 AM PST Global warming will cause the world's soil to release carbon, new research shows. |
| 120-year-old reaction turned on its head with environment-friendly, paste-based method Posted: 18 Nov 2021 03:13 AM PST A new method for creating one of chemistry's most widely used class of compounds could revolutionize industrial processes, making them cheaper, simpler and more environmentally friendly. |
| Scientist advances prospect of regeneration in humans Posted: 17 Nov 2021 06:16 PM PST In a study that builds on earlier research that identified macrophages as essential to regeneration in the axolotl, a highly regenerative salamander, a scientist has identified the source of these critical white blood cells as the liver. By giving scientists a place to look for pro-regenerative macrophages in humans, the discovery brings science a step closer to the ability to regenerate tissues and organs lost to injury or disease. |
| In the brain’s cerebellum, a new target for suppressing hunger Posted: 17 Nov 2021 06:16 PM PST Scientists have identified an entirely new way the brain signals fullness after eating. The findings offer a novel target for therapies that could dramatically curb overeating. |
| When older couples are close together, their heart rates synchronize Posted: 17 Nov 2021 06:16 PM PST As couples grow old together, their interdependence heightens. Often, they become each other's primary source of physical and emotional support. Long-term marriages have a profound impact on health and well-being, but benefits depend on relationship quality. A new study examines the dynamics of long-term relationships through spatial proximity. The researchers find that when partners are close to each other, their heart rates synchronize in complex patterns of interaction. |
| Exploding and weeping ceramics provide path to new shape-shifting material Posted: 17 Nov 2021 06:15 PM PST Researchers have discovered a path that could lead to shape-shifting ceramic materials. This discovery could improve everything from medical devices to electronics. |
| Posted: 17 Nov 2021 06:15 PM PST A group of proteins in plant cells plays a vastly more important role in regulation of photosynthesis than once thought, according to new research. The research is an important step towards fully understanding photosynthesis regulation and increasing CO2 uptake in plants to benefit the climate. |
| Genetic changes in Bronze Age southern Iberia Posted: 17 Nov 2021 01:14 PM PST The third millennium BCE brought about substantial transformations that are visible in the cultures of Bronze Age Europeans. A new study documents the arrival of new genetic ancestry to southern Iberia, concomitant with the rise of the Early Bronze Age El Argar culture around 2,200 BCE. |
| 'Volcanic winter' likely contributed to ecological catastrophe 250 million years ago Posted: 17 Nov 2021 01:14 PM PST A team of scientists has identified an additional force that likely contributed to a mass extinction event 250 million years ago. Its analysis of minerals in southern China indicate that volcano eruptions produced a 'volcanic winter' that drastically lowered earth's temperatures -- a change that added to the environmental effects resulting from other phenomena at the time. |
| Posted: 17 Nov 2021 01:14 PM PST A clinical trial has found people prefer receiving information on the 5:2 diet than standard GP weight management advice despite both interventions achieving similar modest weight loss results. |
| Researchers reveal structure of itch receptors on cells Posted: 17 Nov 2021 12:55 PM PST Scientists have conducted research showing in precise detail how chemicals bind to mast cells to cause itch, and the scientists figured out the detailed structure of receptor proteins on the surface of these cells when a compound is bound to those proteins. |
| The social cost of nitrous oxide is understated under current estimates, new analysis concludes Posted: 17 Nov 2021 08:51 AM PST The social cost of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that is the largest remaining threat to the ozone layer, is understated, concludes an international team of researchers. In their assessment, the authors write that improving the accuracy of these calculations would not only give a more accurate picture of the impact of climate change, but also spur nations to more aggressively address it. |
| Shape-morphing microrobots deliver drugs to cancer cells Posted: 17 Nov 2021 07:38 AM PST Chemotherapy successfully treats many forms of cancer, but the side effects can wreak havoc on the rest of the body. Delivering drugs directly to cancer cells could help reduce these unpleasant symptoms. Now, in a proof-of-concept study, researchers have made fish-shaped microrobots that are guided with magnets to cancer cells, where a pH change triggers them to open their mouths and release their chemotherapy cargo. |
| New group of antibacterial molecules identified Posted: 17 Nov 2021 07:01 AM PST Researchers have identified a new group of molecules that have an antibacterial effect against many antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Since the properties of the molecules can easily be altered chemically, the hope is to develop new, effective antibiotics with few side effects. |
| Posted: 17 Nov 2021 07:01 AM PST Acetogens are a group of bacteria that can metabolise formate. For example, they form acetic acid -- an important basic chemical. If these bacteria were manipulated to produce ethanol or lactic acid, a comprehensive circular economy for the greenhouse gas CO2 could be realised. To ensure that the process is sustainable, the CO2 is extracted directly from the air and converted to formate using renewable energy. To find out how exactly formate can be utilised by the Acetobacterium woodii (short: A. woodii), a team led by Stefan Pflügl from the Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering at TU Wien investigated how the bacterium metabolises various substrates -- including formate. Furthermore, the researchers used a metabolic model to study how A. woodii could be genetically modified to produce substances other than acetic acid. |
| There may be more bird species in the tropics than we know Posted: 17 Nov 2021 07:01 AM PST Study of a perky little bird suggests there may be far more avian species in the tropics than those identified so far. After a genetic study of the White-crowned Manakin, scientists say it's not just one species and one of the main drivers of its diversity is the South American landscape and its history of change. |
| Perceptual links between sound and shape may unlock origins of spoken words Posted: 17 Nov 2021 07:01 AM PST Most people around the world agree that the made-up word 'bouba' sounds round in shape, and the made-up word 'kiki' sounds pointy -- a discovery that may help to explain how spoken languages develop, according to a new study. Language scientists have discovered that this effect exists independently of the language that a person speaks or the writing system that they use, and it could be a clue to the origins of spoken words. |
| Virtual fluid for the description of interfacial effects in metallic materials Posted: 17 Nov 2021 07:01 AM PST A research group presents a new simulation method for describing the attachment of a liquid to a surface. |
| Making the wait less arduous for toddlers Posted: 17 Nov 2021 07:01 AM PST When toddlers have to wait, it often leads to negative affect, as they can't yet regulate their emotions. Psychologists set out to find out how to help them. Is temperament a factor that influences toddler behavior while waiting? Whom can children imitate in order to cope better with long waits? They concluded that, left to their own devices, children prefer activities which correspond to their temperament. Toddlers were able to learn to distract themselves by observing a stranger and generalized the observed behavior. |
| New holographic camera sees the unseen with high precision Posted: 17 Nov 2021 07:01 AM PST Northwestern University researchers have invented a new high-resolution camera that can see the unseen -- including around corners and through scattering media, such as skin, fog or potentially even the human skull. |
| Posted: 17 Nov 2021 07:01 AM PST Recycling carbon dioxide, especially through conversion to methane, is compelling while anthropogenic CO2 emissions are still rising. A useful process for this transformation is photothermal methanation, in which CO2 and hydrogen are catalytically converted into CH4 and water upon irradiation with sunlight. A team of researchers has now reported the synthesis of a highly active, stable, nickel–carbon catalyst for this reaction. |
| Arterial stiffness in adolescence may potentially cause hypertension and obesity in young adulthood Posted: 17 Nov 2021 07:00 AM PST Arterial stiffness is a novel risk factor to be targeted for preventing and treating hypertension and obesity from a young age, a new study suggests. |
| Exercise increases the body’s own ‘cannabis-like' substance which reduces chronic inflammation Posted: 17 Nov 2021 07:00 AM PST Exercise increases the body's own cannabis-like substances, which in turn helps reduce inflammation and could potentially help treat certain conditions such as arthritis, cancer and heart disease. |
| New approach could overcome fungal resistance to current treatments Posted: 17 Nov 2021 07:00 AM PST Current medications aren't particularly effective against fungi. The situation is becoming more challenging because these organisms are developing resistance to antimicrobial treatments, just as bacteria are. Now, researchers report that they have identified compounds that tackle these infections in a new way -- by interfering with fungal enzymes required for fatty acid synthesis -- potentially opening the door to better therapies. |
| A wild strawberry aroma for foods from a fungus growing on fruit waste Posted: 17 Nov 2021 07:00 AM PST The wild strawberry is even more highly prized than its store-bought cousin because of its intense aroma and uniquely sweet taste. However, they're hard to find in the wild, so some companies make synthetic versions of this flavor. Now, researchers have come up with a naturally derived wild strawberry aroma by having an edible fungus make it from waste from black currant juice production. |
| Glass as stable as crystal: Homogeneity leads to stability Posted: 17 Nov 2021 06:59 AM PST Researchers have obtained new insights into the process of crystallization in glasses that can lead to a loss of transparency and mechanical strength. The researchers are the first to relate the coordinated atomic dynamics that lead to "devitrification" with a physical mechanism. This research may lead to improvements in the long term stability of industrial glass. |
| `Oh, snap!’ A record-breaking motion at our fingertips Posted: 16 Nov 2021 05:15 PM PST Researchers studied the physics of a finger snap and determined how friction plays a critical role. Using an intermediate amount of friction, not too high and not too low, a snap of the finger produces the highest rotational accelerations observed in humans, even faster than the arm of a professional baseball pitcher. |
| Physicists reveal non-reciprocal flow around the quantum world Posted: 16 Nov 2021 05:15 PM PST Physicists have created a theory describing how non-reciprocity can be induced at the quantum level, paving the way for non-reciprocal transport in the next generation of nanotechnology. |
| Life on Mars search could be misled by false fossils, study says Posted: 16 Nov 2021 05:15 PM PST Mars explorers searching for signs of ancient life could be fooled by fossil-like specimens created by chemical processes, research suggests. |
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